Melatonin might help. This is an over the counter product considered as a supplement. Melatonin is a naturally occurring substance produced by the pineal gland inside your brain. As one ages, the pineal gland produces less and less of this substance. Adding a synthetic version of melatonin to the system in an effort to replicate the level that one has in their thirties is the objective. The amount varies in individuals. Shift workers, airline pilots etc. use melatonin to reset the sleep cycle. I worked so many different shifts, my normal sleep cycle became broken early in life. I have taken melatonin for many years now, and it has helped me fall asleep, and stay that way. I used to fall asleep and then wake up with my brain in full gear, unable to fall asleep again. Melatonin gave me a fighting chance. I recommend that you start with 1 mg, for 3 nights, and increase to 2 mg for another 3 nights if it's not working, and finally ending up at 3 mg if the preceding dosage doesn't help. Melatonin dissipates from the system within minutes of light contacting your eyes, so there is no groggy or lingering effects.

I routinely use benadryl (dipenhydramine- the sleep agent in tylenol PM) to sleep. I notice no change in my AHI with or without the benadryl. The benefit of tylenol PM is that often we have barely perceptible aches and pains that fragment our sleep. I know it is controversial, but I don't see any harm in trying it for a week to a month to see if it gets you over the hump. You may want to talk to your doc and see if anything else is recommended to minimize disruption of sleep architecture. Good luck, hang in there and keep us posted.

Benadryl is an antihistamine and tends to make you drowsy and is included in many OTC sleep meds.

There are a lot of different PAP pillows out there. I got one with memory foam to contour and support neck and head better to sleep on my back. I too am a tummy sleeper, but I find it uncomfortable with the CPAP. Back sleeping was very uncomfortable, so I got a different pillow and now I am happy!....for the most part. I was a bit under the weather last night, didn't sleep much at all and what I did sleep was without my machine, but I just felt horrible and could not sleep with the machine. I don't figure one night is going to kill me. Tonight I will sleep like a log (I always do once I am tired enough) and I will be using my machine!

As always, YMMV! You do not have to agree or disagree, I am not a professional so my mental meanderings are simply recollections of things from my own life.

(06-14-2012 02:46 PM)mjbearit Wrote: I was a bit under the weather last night, didn't sleep much at all and what I did sleep was without my machine, but I just felt horrible and could not sleep with the machine. I don't figure one night is going to kill me.

It may not hurt, but it won't help. And help is what CPAP therapy is all about. I want to get so used to using my CPAP machine that it becomes as normal as sleeping with a pillow. I've ad mine for a little over 7 months and have never slept a moment without it.

Quote:Tonight I will sleep like a log (I always do once I am tired enough) and I will be using my machine!

I'm like that, too. I suppose that if I had to sleep without my machine I would, but I hope that never happens.

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

No, I have not spoken with my doctor. Sounds strange, but after much consideration I really don't think there is anything my doctor can do. Seriously, what can my doctor do? Neither sleep meds nor anti-anxiety meds work for me and most make my anxiety worse or have side effects which end up making my anxiety worse.

The pressure was initially set to as low as possible based on the difficulty I had with the cpap during my sleep studies and the nature of Cheynes-Stokes.

I have Cheynes-Stokes, a type of central apnea, so I have to use my machine whenever I sleep. I do not have a choice.

I was doing better, 4.5 to 5.5 hours of sleep per night for a couple of weeks, but in a effort to eke out another hour or two I took my father's (he is a psychologist), advice and stated keeping a journal. I immediately started sleeping less and less while experiencing more and more anxiety and have been unable to work my way back up.

BTW, if you are familiar with Cheynes-Stokes, I have never had congestive heart failure, a stroke, brain damage, etc. and am otherwise in good health and physical condition.

Funny, just reading that others have difficulty helps with the emotional aspects of having so much difficulty with the %&*#@*#& machine.

I am curious as to whether or not anybody else experiences the same type of anxiety I am experiencing. When I lie down my stomach or abdomen feels extremely tense, almost like extreme hunger, and the only way I can relieve the tension is to get up and move around or watch TV or eat. Not only would it be great to hear from someone who has experienced this and has overcome it, but it would just be nice to hear that I am not the only person who has experienced this particular and specific form of anxiety. It makes me feel like I am crazy or something because when I have told a psychologist, psychiatrist, GP, or pulmonologist, they look at me like I don't know what I am talking about.

I just did my 3rd night on BiPAP - I feel tense as soon as I put the mask on and start breathing through it.
Only got about 4 hrs sleep total the first 2 nights. Last night I took 2 Ambien - fell asleep after 15 - 30 minutes woke up 4-5 hrs later.
Had to use the bathroom - took another 15 - 30 minutes to get back to sleep and woke up 2.5 hrs later.
I'll be taking 1 Ambien tonight to see how that goes.

(06-23-2012 12:34 AM)rez Wrote: When I lie down my stomach or abdomen feels extremely tense, almost like extreme hunger, and the only way I can relieve the tension is to get up and move around or watch TV or eat.

I have symptoms like this sometimes. It's worse when there's a stressful event occurring in my life. The diagnosis of sleep apnea was one of the most stressful events ever, causing a lot of anxiety.

These symptoms get worse with sleep deprivation, so it's a vicious cycle.

I've been on CPAP therapy for almost 8 months. The good news is that these symptoms do subside over time. For me it's been a gradual process of improvement, with good and bad days mixed in. I try to count my blessings and focus on the positive, whenever I can. I think about the symptoms I'm not experiencing today. Like no headache today, as opposed to yesterday.

I've suffered with chronic headaches for 28 years, and anxiety for longer than that. I've experienced other symptoms like belligerence, impaired cognitive ability, poor judgment, poor concentration, and irritability. Therapy and medication was helpful with a lot of these symptoms, but without adequate sleep they weren't as effective as they could be.

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.